Reversible turbine.



A. L'SPARROW.

REVERSIBLE TURBINE.

APPHCATION FILED MAY 2. (M8- Patented Apr. 15; 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I amen W04,

A. J. SPARROW.

REVERSIBLE TURBINE.

QPPUCATION FILED MAY 2. 191a.

Patented Apr. 15, 1919.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2 MPOW srin'rns PATENT onnrcn.

ALFRED J'. SPARROW, OFWOODSTOCK, NEW BRUNSWICK, CANADA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO ALBERT ERNEST BABKIRK, OF WOODSTOCK, NEW BRUNSWICK,

CAN ADA.

REVERSIBLE TURBINE.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 15, 1919.

Application filed May 2, 1918. Serial No. 232,094.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED J. SPARROW, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Woodstock, in the Province of New Brunswick and Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in' Reversible Turbines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention comprehends generally improvements in steam engines and more particularly to a rotary engine.

It is the principal aim and object of this invention to provide a device of the above mentioned character wherein valve means of a novel construction are arranged for conducting and exhausting steam to and from the stator for the effective operation of the rotor therein.

It is anequally important object of this invention to provide a device of the above mentioned character wherein manually controlled valve means of a novel construction are employed for cooperating with the valve means which controls the admission and exhausting of steam to the stator so as to shift the last mentioned valve means and permit of the reversing of the operation of the engine when desired.

More particularly the present invention embraces the provision of a motor of the above mentioned character embodying a stator in which is operably mounted a rotor, the normally extensible pistons of which are designed to receive the impact produced by the admission of steam into the stator for the rotation of the stator while cooperating with these pistons are improved means integral with the inner surface of the stator for successively retracting the pistons preparatory to the admission of steam into the adjacent compartments provided in the stator by the pistons, consequently insuring an effective operation of the engine.

More specific objects of this invention consists in the provision of the means for manually controlling the position of the reversing valve; and to provide improved packing means for preventin the escape of steam during the actuation o the engine.

Among the other aims and objects of this invention may be recited the provisionof a rotary engine of the character described with a view to compactness, and in which the number of parts are few, the construction simple and the cost of production low and the efficiency high.

Other improvements and novel details in the construction and arrangement of the various parts of the apparatus will be brought out more in detail in the description to follow, which for a clear understanding of the invention should be considered in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, and wherein is disclosed for the purpose of illustration a convenient and satisfactory embodiment of the invention. It is to be noted in this connection that minor changes may be made without departing from the principle of operation of the various parts.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an elevation of the improved turbine,

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the invention, the valves being shown in one position,

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section thereof, I

Fig. 4; is a fragmentary vertical longitudi-. nal sectional detail showing the valve means shifted, and

Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse section through a sliding valve operating means embodied in the invention.

I Similar characters of reference are employed in all of the above described views, to indicate corresponding parts.

Referring now, more particularly, to the accompanying drawings there is provided a base '1 from which projects standards 2 provided at their upper ends with bearings 3 while carried within the space between the standards is a stator 4. This stator consists of a cylindrical casing 5 having an open side normally closed by a cover plate 6 held in position .by means of suitable fasteners such as screws 7. The inner surface of the casing near the upper edge thereof is provided with an enlargement 8 for a purpose thatwill presently appear. A shaft 9 is journaled through centrally arranged bearing openings 10 while the ends thereof are journaled in the bearings 3 formed at the upper ends of the standards. A rotor indicated in its entirety by the numeral 11 is rigidly connected to the shaft, preferably through the instrumentality of a key12, and is positioned within the casing, the uppermost point on the outer surface thereof being arranged in close. relation with the enlargement 8, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 4, for a purpose that will presently appear. The rotor preferably consists of a disk-like body which is arranged in uniformly spaced relation with the inner surface of the casing with the exception of the uppermost portion which engages the enlargement as intimated, and is provided with a plurality of radially arranged and uniformly spaced slots 13 which open in the outer periphery and accommodate sliding pistons 14;, the latter being normally held extended and in yielding engagement with the inner surface of the casing through the instrumentality of suitable resilient means such as coiled springs 15. By the peculiar construction and arrangement of these pistons it will be apparent that they will be successively retracted upon engagement with the enlargement so as to insure of the directing of the intake against the adjacent piston. Incidentally it will be noticed that these pistons coiip'erate'with the casing in providing compartments.

As intimated, improved means has been provided for controlling the admission and exhaustion of steam to'and from the stator for the rotation of the rotor therein.

In reducing this feature of the invention to practice, the upper portion of the casing is provided near the respective ends of the enlargement with openings 16 and 17 which serve as inlet and exhaust passages. Connected'in these openings are nipples 18, the upper ends of which are connected to the bottom and near the respectiveends of a valve casing 19. This valve casing is preferably of a rectangular configuration and is provided with openings 20 in the top at points opposite the nipples 18 for receiving the branches 21 and 22 of the steam or other supply pipe 23. An exhaust pipe 24 is led centrally from the top of the, casing 19 and between the openings 20 as indicated in the drawings. Cooperating with the branches and nipples is an improved valve body indicated in'its entirety by the numeral 24:. The body is preferably'of a rectan gu'lar configuration and is slidaJble in the casing having the outer surfaces thereof a1 ranged in close relation with the inner surfaces of the casing. The valve body 24: is provided near its ends, with vertical passages 25 and 26, either of which may be arranged to establish communication between either of the opposed inlet branches and nipples so that steam may enter, the stator casing and strike the'blades orp'istons 1d for rotating the rotor within the stator, as is aparent. The valve-body 24: is further provi edfwithi aninverted U-shaped passage 27, the vertical end portions 28 of which are positioned so that either one of them will establish communication with the nipple which is not arrangedin communication with one of the inlet branches so that exhaust steam may pass from the compartment within the stator and through the opening 29 which establishes communication with the exhaust pipe 24, as is apparent.

With a view toward providing means for. shifting the valve body 24 so as-to reversethe operation of the enginew-hen desired, there is employed a pistoncasing OP-QYllIldBI' 30 which is detachably connected as at 31 to the openend of the valve casing 19. The outer end of this 'casing30 is closed by'a de-' tachab-le' cover plate 32 which permits of access to the casing when desired. A piston head 33 operates in the casing 30' and is con-- nected to one end of a piston rod 34:, the opposite end of which is connected as at 35 to the-adjacent end of the valve body 24: so that upon the shifting of the piston head 33 the valve body 24 Will be correspondingly 90 shifted so that the parts maybe arranged in the position indicatedin Fig. 1 for thepurpose of reversing the operation of the engine. The casing 30 is provided with a steam conducting passage 36 which com munic-ate's with opposite ends of the casing while a conducting pipe 37 is led from one of the branches 29/ and communicates with the passage 36 medially of the ends thereof. A valve seat 38 is formedtransversely of the passage way 36 near the point of communication of thepipe 37. A valve plug 39 is arranged in the seat 38. A handle 40 is con nected with the valve 39 for turningthe valve plug for-alining an angular passage 105 way 41 of the same with either portion of the passage way 36 and with the pipe 37 allowing-steam to flowthrough the pipe 37 and at one end of the passage way 36into the-adjacent ends of the casing 30zfor shift- 110 ing or moving the piston'head's33 toconsequently move orgshift-the valve body 24 in a corresponding direction. 7

To prevent the escape of steam from the compartments in' the stator between the adja- 1'15 cent andclosely arranged side edges of the stator and the rotor, the inner surfaces of the sides of the casing 5] and the cover plate 6 are providedat pointsnear the bearing openings 10 and near the inner surfaces of 120 the walls of the casing wit'h opposed grooves 42 for receiving packing rings 43, the outer edges'of which are arranged in close relation with the adjacent side edges of the rotor, as indicated in Fig.3. g V

The mode of operation of the present invention may be reviewed as follows: V

Assuming that the parts have been assembled in the manner described and as indicated in the drawings,- especially in- Fig. 25 130" steam passes from the supply pipe 23 through the branch pipe 21 thereof and thence through the vertical passage way 25 in the valve body 24, through the alining nipple 18 and passage way 16 into the adjacent compartment of the stator while this steam will strike the adjacent piston 14 which impact causes a rotation of the rotor. As long as the parts remain in this position, the rotor will be rotated by "the steam successively striking the pistons. In this connec tion it is to be noted that the exhaust steam passes through the passage way 17, the nipple therein, and thence through the vertical portion 28 which alines with the nipple into the U-shaped passage way and finally passes through the opening 29 lnto the exhaust pipe 24. Particular attention is directed to the fact that just before the pistons 14 are disposed so as to receive the impact from the intake they are engaged and retracted by the enlargements, this arrangement insuring of the steam being directed against the piston which is opposed to the intake passage way 16, as indicated in Fig. 2. To reverse the operation of the turbine. the handle 40 is engaged so that steam will pass through the pins 37 from the branch 22 by the valve plug and through one end of the passage way 36- so as to enter the casing and act against the piston head 33 so as to shift this head as well as the valve body 34 to the position as indicated in Fig. 4, the valve body 24 closing the branch pipe 21 and stopping so that the passage way 26 establishes communica-- tion between the branch pipe 22 and the nipple which is mounted in the opening 17, permitting of steam to strike the opposite sides of the piston for the rotation of the rotor in an opposite direction while the exhaust steam of course passes through the nipple 18 in the passage way 16 into the adjacent vertical portion 28 of the Ushaped passage way 27 and finally passes through the opening 29 into the exhaust pipe 24.

It is believed in view of the foregoing description that a further detailed description of the operation of the invention is unnecessary. Likewise, it is believed that the advantages of the invention will be readily apparent.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely diflerent embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limited sense. It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover all the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which as a matter of language might be said to fall therebetween.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A device of the character described including a stator, a rotor therein, nipples mounted through the upper edge of the stator near opposite sides thereof and serving as inlet and exhaust passages, a valve casing having connection with the nipples, a steam supply pipe having its branches communicating with the top of the casing at points opposite the nipples, an exhaust pipe leading from the top of the casing, a valve body slidable in the casing and having vertical passages .therethrough near the ends thereof either of which alines with either of the opposed nipples and supply pipe branches, the body also having another passage therein which establishes communication between the other nipple and the exhaust pipe, and a manually controlled steam operable piston connected with the valve body for shifting the body for the reversing of the rotor.

2. A device of the character described including a stator, a rotor therein, nipples mounted through the upper edge of the stator near opposite sides thereof and serving as inlet and exhaust passages, a valve casing having connection with the nipples, a steam supply pipe having its branches communicating with the top of the casing at points opposite the nipples, an exhaust pipe leading from the top of the casing, a valve body slidable in the casing and having vertical passages therethrough near the ends thereof either of which alines with either of the opposed nipples and supply pipe branches, the body also having another passage therein which establishes communication between the other nipple and the ex haust pipe, another casing connected to the last casing and provided with a passage communicating with both ends thereof, a piston operating in the casing and connected to the valve body, a conducting pipe leading from one of the branches of the supply pipe and communicating with the last mentioned passage medially of the ends thereof, and a manually operable valve plug mounted in the last casing for controlling the passage of steam to either end of the last mentioned casing.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALFRED J. SPARROW.

Witnesses A H. B. PLUMMER, A. E. BABKIRK.

Qantas of this patent may be. obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "ficmmissioner ofi latents,

- Washington, D. 53. 

